The Hindu Business Line : Helping craftsmen to sell their wares abroad

Mumbai, Oct. 9 Titas Ganguly, a ceramic and pottery maker, operates from his factory in Anand, Gujarat. He occasionally travels with his wares to the cities to woo retailers who might be interested in selling his handmade products in their stores. In the bargain, he loses out on a big chunk of margins that might have accrued to him, instead of the retailer, had he sold them directly.

“We cannot set up a shop; it needs a lot of investments. Through exhibitions we meet new buyers but it would be wonderful if some association of craftspeople could be set up which would help us realise more profits,” he said.

A not-for-profit organisation of craftspeople from across India - Dastkari Haat Samiti, has suddenly found patrons from the media industry to help it market its indigenous products. Model/actor Milind Soman wants to start a global marketing agency in association with the Delhi-based organisation.

“We bring the craftspeople to the cities to directly interact with potential buyers who might place bulk orders, etc. Milind has shown interest in taking this initiative forward and may be we can work together to set up a purposeful agency,” said Ms Jaya Jaitley, former Samata party president and founder of the samiti, in the city for an exhibition-cum-sale of handlooms and handicrafts.

Exhibition

The 10-day exhibition has 40 participants from different States displaying products made of natural fibres, ethnic and organic design solutions in apparels, textiles, home décor, jewellery, gifts and artefacts.

“I have studied the indigenous industry for quite some time now and realise that these people lack proper marketing of their products. I am planning to set up a global marketing agency in association with Jaitley’s group,” said Milind Soman. He said he would be handling end-to-end logistics of marketing and selling of the traditional products abroad.

The proposed agency is looking to bring in government or private funds and would build an association of craftspeople using Dastkari’s database. It would essentially be a global agency, which would provide a platform for the craftspeople to sell to international buyers through a Web site.

“Exhibitions take place, but once they are over, everybody forgets about these products. We want to provide them with a steady sustainable business opportunity by setting up this central marketing agency,” he said.

According to Ms Jaitley , “These people have talent and art but they do not know how to sell in the cities. Once they come here for exhibitions, they understand how the market works and what kind of products are in demand and they innovate according to the needs of the city dwellers. Bombay Stores buys from them and sells at a higher price. To compete with such stores, the craftspeople will need to build certain synergies, which, hopefully this agency will be able to provide.”

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